Proof already he’s no one-trick pony
It was a week or so ago – when the speculation around the possible signing of James Ward-Prowse was intensifying almost by the hour, that I saw a post on a particular forum – one that claimed to have close contacts within the club by the way – describing Ward-Prowse as a one-trick-pony.
A free kick expert who had little else to offer in the grand scheme of things. The post even went as far as to suggest goals from free kicks were somehow of less merit and less appreciated than those scored from open play… and consequently JWP might not be all he’s been cracked up to be. At the time I found the reasoning behind that argument difficult to fathom.
Last Sunday, in the 81 minutes he spent on the field of play against Chelsea, I saw one superb delivery from a corner kick plus another excellent piece of quick thinking and supply in open play – both from Ward-Prowse – and both resulting in goals for West Ham. The first the crucial opener, the second maybe even more crucial as it restored our lead and gave us something tangible to hang on to as the game moved into its critical last third.
If those are the kind of ‘tricks’ we can expect from our new man, then they’ll do for me – and I suspect the vast majority of Hammers’ fans inside the London Stadium, or at home watching on their TV’s what was a pulsating London derby, would feel exactly the same.
That one-trick-pony jibe has been blown straight out of the water after just one game. Of course its use in the first place may well have been prompted by the fact that JWP was very much a Moyes choice of player. A tried and trusted performer with bags of Premier League experience. One the manager has had eyes on for a while – and was determined to push hard to bring to the club. So a vote for JWP was like a vote for David Moyes – and that didn’t sit well with some.
Since the arrival of Technical Director Tim Steidten, there has been what appears a concerted effort to highlight a perceived conflict of ideas between the two men. Although the manager whenever asked has insisted no such conflict exists – and while they are both new to each other, and still getting to know each other, both have the best interest of the club at heart. Isn’t that exactly how it should be?
Personally I don’t care whose idea it was to bring in Ward-Prowse or Edson Alvarez – Kostaninos Mavropanos (set to be announced this week) or Mohammed Kudus, a player Steidten has been in Amsterdam negotiating with Ajax about – and is set to add to the London Stadium head count. How those players, or any others for that matter, get here doesn’t bother me one iota. It’s what they do when they get here and pull on that claret and blue shirt that’s of paramount importance, or should be, to each and every one of us.
James Ward-Prowse has set the bar high for the other new arrivals. There was a very satisfied look on the manager’s face as he applauded his new number 7 off the pitch. Just as the crowd were equally delighted to show their appreciation. No-one gave a thought to how he got here or whose choice he was. It may be boring and have no contentious back story – but that is exactly the way it should be!
